Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), or Type II diabetes, is the more common form of diabetes, with 90-95% of hyperglycemic patients experiencing this form of the disease. In Type II diabetes, there appears to be a reduction in the pancreatic β-cell mass, several distinct defects in insulin secretion, or a decrease in tissue sensitivity to insulin. The symptoms of this form of diabetes include fatigue, frequent urination, thirst, blurred vision, frequent infections and slow healing of sores, diabetic nerve damage, retinopathy, micro and macro blood vessel damage, and heart and renal disease.
Resistance to the metabolic actions of insulin is one of the key features of Type II diabetes. Insulin resistance is characterized by impaired uptake and utilization of glucose in insulin-sensitive target organs, for example, adipocytes and skeletal muscle, and by impaired inhibition of hepatic glucose output. Functional insulin deficiency, insulin resistance in the periphery, and the failure of insulin to suppress hepatic glucose output results in fasting hyperglycemia. Pancreatic β-cells compensate for the insulin resistance by secreting increased levels of insulin. However, the β-cells are unable to maintain this high output of insulin, and eventually, the glucose-induced insulin secretion falls, leading to the deterioration of glucose homeostasis and to the subsequent development of overt diabetes. Hyperinsulinemia is also linked to insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and increased plasma concentration of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The association of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia with these metabolic disorders has been termed “Syndrome X,” and has been strongly linked to an increased risk of hypertension and coronary artery disease.
Obesity is an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. Excess adipose tissue is associated with the development of serious medical conditions, for example, Type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and certain malignancies. The adipocyte may also influence glucose homeostasis through the production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and other molecules.
Atherosclerotic disease is known to be caused by a number of factors, for example, hypertension, diabetes, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Atherosclerotic diseases include cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vessel disease. Coronary heart disease includes CHD death, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization. Cerebrovascular disease includes ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, and transient ischemic attacks.
Accordingly, despite the presence of some pharmaceuticals that are used to treat these diseases, there remains a need for new pharmaceuticals that are both safe and effective agents for the treatment of disease, and for useful methods to prepare them.
The present invention relates to compounds which are useful in the treatment of diabetes and related disorders such as Syndrome X, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, and hyperinsulinemia; obesity; atherosclerotic disease and related disorders such as hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesteremia; cardiovascular disease; and cerebrovascular disease.